Adkins set to replace under-fire Warnock?

The Express this morning claim that GFH have already started to sound out Nigel Adkins as a potential replacement for under-fire Leeds United manager, Neil Warnock.

Controversially sacked by Southampton last month, Adkins would appear to meet the criteria Salem Patel laid out in his interview with David Conn earlier this week.

“When Neil goes we will look to appoint a young manager who will particularly work to build the young players into great players for the club.”

At 47 years old, Adkins is 17 years Neil Warnock’s junior and an infant by managerial standards. He plays the kind of attractive passing football most Leeds United fans have said they’d like to see and has a strong track record of developing youth players.

It all fits together so well, it makes you wonder whether the Express actually have a source for this or whether they’ve taken a little bit of a leap in their article and are simply pointing out an obvious and likely target.

Would you like to see Adkins as the next Leeds United manager? Vote and comment below.

52 Responses

Iv just said on the link to this that i think its unlikely to be true.. is he the perfect candidate.. Oh yes.. but will GFH stump up money to sack Warnock after just getting in players he wanted for his squad.. I dont think so.. Also Warnock would be due 6 months of pay (we all know of GFH’s aversion to spending money) so why would they sack him when they have a 5 year plan? They cudnt even bring themselves to stump up the extra 250,000 for chris burke which could have helped us in the promotion race.. The question really should be will Adkins be around when GFH do eventually want him? Hot property such as him.. very doubtful..

Remember bates comments when Warnock joined? This is a contract where either party can walk with not much fallout. I expect Warnock to have left by mutual consent by 6pm. I think that is a great shame, and that he deserved better from bates especially but also from the fans. He has stuck at that job when most others would have walked. Bates pulled the plug on Leeds this summer that we have a squad at all is down largely to Warnock. We should remember that. We can keep hoping for better bit I genuinely think we owe Neil Warnock.

I wonder where Express got this story from, I would love Adkins to come in as Manager though my preferred options would be Poyet & Zola as managerial pairing (I can dream). I feel we owe NW nothing, IMO apart from a good FA cup run this season we are worse off now than when Simon Grayson was in charge. The defensive record was dire under SG but its worse under NW, look at our goal difference.
GFH will have capital to bring in Adkins I’m sure, this move would go a long way to getting support back through the turnstiles.

Managers come and go and fans quickly forget, especially if the football on show is good and entertaining, and the results are even better.

If we lose today and on Wednesday surely this will push NW nearer the exit door!.

Season is over for us now anyway so bin Warnock and start the rebuilding for next season. We seem to say this every year, time for someone to step up and sort it, trouble is it will cost the club to get rid of the dross Warnock brought in. Let’s get it sorted now and march on to the premier league next season. MOT.

I agree totally NorthumberlandLUFC…….we are far worse off in terms of points and a negative goal difference under NW than we EVER were under Grayson……whom I’ve gota say,I believe,would have got us promoted up with Norwich in that first season in the Champ’shp, IF he had been financially backed by the fiscal rapists who were running our club at the time……in that Jan transfer window!?!

Also…..I do think if this current board have got a decent set of kahunas……they’ll appoint Adkins NOW……regardless of our league position!! Its been mentioned in a previous post that Richard Naylor is producing the best youth team in the country at the mo…….which ties in perfectly with Adkins philosophy of utilising youth!! We need a manager that has the courage to try this…….an ‘ O’learyesque ‘ kind of approach……in fact,you could draw parallels with 98’…….Graham creating a dire football team to watch ( read Warnock )…….being replaced by a manager that is not afraid to give the kids a try!?!

One final point……I DEF believe that if Warnock was to go now,and Adkins was appointed……..it would probably put another 5,000 on the gate immediately!?!…………MOT!!!

It is possible for gfh to get Adkins. Why are people saying that they wouldn’t give another 250k for Burke, the only person that has said he wouldn’t pay the extra that brum were asking is warnock as he just wants people on the cheap to look good. Just look at the answer to becchio from gfh he was swapped for Morrison cause that’s who warnock wanted so they didn’t have or want to sell him warnock did. Yes they want a slice of the pie if we get to the prem who wouldn’t???. They have do more in 8 weeks to what has been done in the last 8 years give them a chance ffs. Banks have investors it’s what they do what is the problem in this and why moan about it???

There were more people in for Burke than Leeds mate – Forest were after him as well and refused to buy him for the same reasons as us. Seems to me Brum were wanting a Dutch auction but it back fired on them.

I sincerely hope this is true – not only has he the credentials we need (young, promotion and top flight experience, good with a limited budget, trusts younger players) he was also apparently a boyhood Leeds fan. However its worth noting that his Southampton team was a big strong team that played with a big target man and muscled their way out of League 1, although they mixed it up in the Championship he’s not a possession purist like Poyet or Zola.

Why sack Warnock? He agreed/wanted a contract that terminates in May, he says he is reasonable…. Lets be reasonable, lets be businesslike for a change. Announce Warnock will lead us this season and then go but will work a transition plan NOW with Adkins whom we employ as ‘director of football’ This would give him time to get to know all the staff, coaching, players, juniors…. make plans for changes but have no pressure to win games, even have time to move, refresh…. My God, why not!

I agree with the first part – there is no point to Warnock going now. Let him serve out his time with as much dignity as he and we can muster. I do not agree with the rest. The claims of Adkins are not so obvious or overwhelming to support the strategy you outline. Much hard thinking needs to be done before we appoint WArnock’s successor.

There are many reasons to sack warnock now and that is to rid the club of the bloody awful style of football he offers but if it was my decision I would save the payoff money by bringing in Adkins as director of football over warnock to force a better standard of play, this would surely force him to resign instead of staying till May and collecting a pile of dosh for doing nothing.

You can’t change styles of play like you can change your socks. The attempt is a recipe for disaster. A new manager is going to assess the talent and see what they can do. Then maybe a tweak or two. There’s no magic wand.

Yes we need a manager of the highest caliber but what good would he be to us if he is not backed financially.Every manager employed by us in the last 6 years has worked on a shoe string and any good player has been sold. Even Sir red nose would struggle with us,

“When Neil goes we will look to appoint a young manager who will particularly work to build the young players into great players for the club.” It still sounds to me, coupled with the statement by GFH that they are “in for the Long Haul,” as though they want to build a team over time and not invest in buying players. Surely no ambitious manager would come to Leeds knowing that he has no financial backing. When we have had promising players they’ve been sold off anyway. Any ambitious manager would be a fool to take up the poisoned chalice of managing our club with GFH in charge, and Bates hanging around like a bad smell.

I think if Warnock does leave, most likely it will be by mutual consent, then Nigel Adkins would be a good replacement. He’s taken Southampton from League 1 to the Premiership in two seasons; speaks very intelligently; and above likes to play attractive football. If Warnock goes, so should Shaunn Harvey. Club looks like it’s lacking any leadership off the pitch, and Adkins would have to build a second team in 12 months, as I don’t see the likes of Brown fitting in with his plan of playing football. MOT

Not a chance. What makes people think Adkins would want to manage us? Adkins likes a passing side, so he would need to dismantle this team and start almost from scratch (just like Warnock did with Grayson’s team) – where would that money come from? It wouldn’t come from generated transfer monies (our team has been built on the cheap) even if we could sell players – Tonge anyone? GFH wouldn’t appear to have any money. That would leave us relying on external investors – haven’t we been through all that? – Chinese, Middle East, Americans, Simon Morris, Lord Sainsbury…..boring!!!! Adkins had money at Southampton – I doubt that he would get any at Leeds – so I don’t see it. It’s more pipe dreams, cheap and easy journalism and false hopes been generated again by the media, because we have become so desperate for something positive to happen at ER.

Hmm I think not. I suspect he reached his celing with Southampton’s promotion.
Adkins shares Warnock’s proclivity for talking too much. He is also prone to ‘positive thinking’, which sems to be his trademark.
I suspect that, like Warnock, he is ‘too much of a man in a hurry’ to bring on younger players or to develop a distinctive playing style as well.

Poyet remains for me the Number One candidate, and I would take a serious look at Solskjeaar.
But before we even think about the identity of Warnock’s successor, some serious thought needs to be put into structure and to the definition of the Manager’s role.

Id love to see adkins come in as the next manager and tie him up as warnocks replacement. This season is over now warnock did his best but the takeover delay totally damaged any chance of promotion due to lack of funds when we needed them.

Sorry NW your time has come..we need young blood and a more passing style.Youth players to come through and a guy like Adkins can provide the goods we need.
Please please let this be a true roumor!
MOT!!!

He was not good enough for Southhampton (scummers) but who knows it was a young Don Revie who was swayed from going to a southern club Bournmouth and look what happened to them then but it took him 10 years to build his winning team. Managers now are lucky to get 10 weeks. Let Warnock serve his contract, and then be gone. It is too late in the season to upset things chasing CUP ? AND THE PLAY OFFS.

Given the season is pretty much unsalvageable. GFH will probably take their time to find a proper replacement. Look at how long it took them to do their due diligence. What worries me is their probable criteria. Words like inexpensive and known quantity come to mind. Unfortunately the fans are thinking innovative, imaginative and flair with toughness. In other words, another Don Revie. Also if they are entertaining buy out offers they may not want to handcuff new owners with a long term manager. No we’re stuck with NW ‘ til the plug is pulled on one more awful season.

After todays performance im now joining the new blood brigade – I wasn’t but after today I really cant see any other way forward than a new manager, he seems like a good bet so why not – could it be any worse?

Well, it does seem as though now is the right time for NW to go. I wouldn’t mind betting he’s had enough too and would rather be with his family (perfectly understandable by the way). Yes, Nigel Adkins is the best choice for me. Get him in right now, let him assess the squad over the remainder of the season, get ready to freshen things up in the summer and have a right good go next season. While I’m at it, it would also be a huge boost to fans relations if GFH re-thought their plan to make Ken Bates President at the end of the season. I think he should leave now too.

Nevermind guys, we only lost to a team that has had over a billion pounds worth of investment in it, perhaps someday if we ever get owners like that we’d stand a chance eh? They haven’t lost at all at home since September 2012 either.

Manchester Citys billions bought that win, with their quality from players that cost more than we could even dream of having here again.

look if we are changing mangers do so now , then the new guy can assess the squad (funds allowing) he can change the squad over the summer. With regards Adkins man its a win win situation. Don’t just look at Southampton , the man performed miracles at Scunthorpe. Lets get him on board sooner rather than letter, we need to forget this season, even if by a miracle we got up this season I doubt without a new manager and a massive squad restructuring we would come straight down again. So start the process now and avoid the cut and paste approach of the last close season recruitment process. For those who say we beat his Southampton, I was there and that was his U21 squad that night.
Furthermore he was right to play the youngster as he was taking the senior squad up the table,before the unbelievable sacking. Act now and we just may get somewhere next season.

Warnock has proved he cannot bring the youth in.. Byram yes but others have not featured.Why?? He needs money and we haven’t got it so other ways of bringing the team up are needed and i do not think Warnock can / is able to do it.
Came with good record and promises but cannot pick a team at the moment and his formations are not recognised.. Time for a change to plan for next season..

Oh come on Warnock is doing exactly the right thing. We are only 8 points from ( er relegation) and with a gung ho attitude and examplary tactics as we used against say Watford we should easily make up the 5 goal defiicit needed to get into the bottom 3. If we manage this with one match remaining we could go into administration and solve all our financial problems! Sound familiar? Don’t rule it out!

Here’s why you don’t fire your managers and treat they like dirt: because the future candidates see how they will get treated if the team has a bad run. It is does not make the job at all attractive. NW is ready to retire, sounds like, so let him go in peace. He didn’t do a bad job, and he has a sense of humour – something that is required in Leeds. NW had the job of assembling a team, and trying to get some chemistry going, and he did that fine. There are people who seem to think that all you have to do is buy some talent, then tell the players to pass and play good football, then you win the league. That is silly. You have to get a lot of cash; find players at the right price from the few who are available; then you pray that they fit in. Then you juggle the line out to try and find the right mix. Then you take a beating from impatient fans who want instant success. Let us admit that at Leeds, the managers have been the scapegoats. No manager could have succeeded under these circumstances.

”No manager could have succeeded under these circumstances”… so true PMH and no manager will succeed under these circumstances.

If GFHC can outline their plan for the next five years, (we’re not in a hurry to reach the promised land then?), as they’ve mentioned to the Guardian newspaper, then we will know where we all are and a ‘kill or cure’ can be taken on board by the ”impatient fans who want instant success” and certainly by any prospective Manager that may be holding both hands out to Leeds not fully a-tuned to the speed he may well get them chopped off…. when the funds are not quite as available as was originally outlined, a few sales have to be made and the support gets restless.

One thing I’m sure we would all like to know and that is….if the Club is short of Cash Flow now, where the hell is some capital coming from to build an improved team for next season?. I’m sure Mr Adkins et al… will be asking that question, if approached.

At the end of the day, football is a business, money is everything. If a manager is on a poor run of results, and the league position is bad, and the fans are staying away, you have to let your manager go.
When the fans lose faith in the manager, and the manager starts to blame his players and potentially alienate his players, his time is coming to an end.

your all stupid! warnock has had no real chance and has been out the door before he signed purely because of our money situation! we should have kept bates because ghf are seriously close to going into administration! why you think there selling us! keep warnock! give him a proper chance! were turning into pompey mixed with chelsea! wont keep a manager and are going to end up not been a club if we dont sort it out! the so called “fans” dont help either! slag your clubs manager off… why not use that energy to get to the games! 19k is horrendous for elland road! but thats what were getting week in week out now because people dont bother! people who are supposed to be proper fans” stop complaining and get behind your club ! also lower your ridiculously high expectations! everyone seems to think we should be back in top league challenging for europa. are you dumb? were a championship club now and we need to get used to it!

what I personally got from the GFH guardian article is that they are supporting a cash strapped club in the short term with the wider aim to get the debts paid off on the east stand etc and unravel all of the Bates-era nastiness that’s still festering around the place.

In terms of that, they may not be made of money but this might not be the worst thing in the world. For one we don’t actually need to invest all of our revenue into the playing squad for it to be of championship standard. Especially post-FFP we will have a natural advantage over everyone as long as the fans come back to games. For another, we have a really great youth system and training facilities that have propped up the first team for years now.

It’s a cliche that money isn’t everything in football. It’s really important. But if you run through our best players of the last few years, how many of them have cost big money? The likes of Snodgrass, Beckford, Schmeichel, Gradel and Becchio, all cost a tiny proportion of what they were worth 2 years on. Compare those to our more expensive players like Peltier and Danny Pugh, and the lower leagues, clearly, are more about good scouting than they are spending big. It’s not just leeds either, just look at the careers of Grant Holt, Rickie Lambert or Danny Graham and you’ll see what I mean.

So I think we’re all being a bit pessimistic. Sure, Warnock hasn’t been great and he should probably go, but there are so many managers out there; Adkins, Poyet, Solskjaer, Di Canio, or even Roberto Martinez (if Wigan go down) would all in my opinion get us promoted in the next 2 years given a little faith and good will.